Career days from Layne, Dwyer lead Idaho to FCS playoff win over Lehigh

MOSCOW — It was quiet in the Kibbie Dome as Idaho wide receiver Jordan Dwyer stared over his shoulder at the descending dot from Vandal quarterback Jack Layne.

Then, the assembled crowd of 7,346 fans let out a collective roar of relief as Dwyer caught the ball at the 15, stopped in front of the end zone, turned around and hopped backward across the plane for the 62-yard score.

“Credit to the O-line and credit to Jack (Layne) for throwing the absolute beauty of a ball,” Dwyer said.

Idaho Coach Jason Eck’s reaction to Dwyer’s extra flair?

“I gave him a little coaching after that one,” Eck said.

Layne completed 16-of-22 passes for a career-high 318 yards, Dwyer racked up a career-best 166 yards on seven catches and the Vandal defense kept the Mountain Hawks out of the end zone until the final minute of regulation as No. 8-seeded Idaho rolled to a 34-13 win over Lehigh in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

A late pick-6 by UI linebacker Zach Johnson punctuated a sixth win for the Vandals inside the walls of the Kibbie Dome and a 10th win of the season.

It’s the first time Idaho has won 10 games since 1993 and ensured an undefeated home slate, including playoffs, for the first time since 1996.

The Vandals (10-3) will face top-seeded Montana State (14-0) at 6 p.m. Friday in Bozeman, Mont., in the FCS quarterfinals.

Air Jordan and Jack Attack

Dwyer’s dramatics were part of a career-best day for the sophomore receiver and his sophomore quarterback.

Dwyer racked up 112 yards and two touchdowns on four catches in just the first half.

Four of Dwyer’s seven grabs were for 19-or-more yards with his 62-yard touchdown the crowning achievement in a day that included a 43-yard reception as well.

Dwyer demonstrated his value as one of the most dependable receivers in the FCS with his first touchdown. On third-and-5, Layne sent a laser gliding to the far right corner of the end zone where only Dwyer could grab it and stay in bounds.

“It was real close,” Dwyer said. “Barely got the got the foot in, but, you know, Jack hung it up there, gave me a great ball. We practiced that a lot.”

Dwyer’s 166 yards saw him surpass 1,000 yards on the season and score his ninth and 10th touchdowns.

Layne surpassed 300 yards passing in a game for the first time in his eight-start college football career. The sophomore signal-caller from Lake Oswego, Ore., averaged over 14 yards per attempt.

“I just felt confident we had a great game plan,” Layne said. “Coach Slice (Luke Schleusner), offensive coordinator always says, ‘Just keep it simple.’ You know, throw and catch, and this guy (Dwyer) made a lot of good catches tonight. O-line blocked great. And when you keep it simple, it’s nice.”

Redshirt freshman receiver Mark Hamper tallied 97 yards on five catches including a 42-yard touchdown.

Ground game

Lehigh (9-4) outran Idaho 169-92.

Eck said the Vandals struggled against Lehigh’s run-blocking scheme and could not get much going.

That did not stop Eck from dialing up a Deshaun Buchanan carry on fourth-and-2 from the Lehigh 23 on Idaho’s opening drive which the redshirt freshman turned into a 4-yard gain.

“You’re not going to beat good teams in the playoffs kicking field goals in the red zone,” Eck said. “You got to count by sevens and get touchdowns.”

In his first game back from an injury that kept him out since Nov. 16, Buchanan totaled 42 yards on 15 carries, including the 4-yard fourth down attempt and a 2-yard touchdown to open the second half.

Eli Cummings and Art Williams were back in the rotation as well with seven carries each.

Home-state house call

With Idaho up by three touchdowns in the third quarter, Lehigh appeared to be making progress, having gained 44 yards on nine plays.

Facing fourth-and-5 from the Idaho 31, Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson heaved a ball up the right side and Johnson burst into the passing lane, got both palms on the ball and sprinted 74 yards all the way to the house.

With the Mountain Hawks on his heels, the linebacker appeared to trip up around the 5-yard line before regaining his balance and crossing the plane for six points.

Johnson, of Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was quick to credit his teammates for the 74-yard pick-6.

“D-line affected the throw,” Johnson said. “And that was just kind of a daily practice drill sitting in the window. You know, double slam backside. Just did my job. So whole defense, that’s the whole defensive (on the) pick-6, not just one guy.”

Johnson said this kind of dominant win is all about the seniors.

“We got, like, Tommy (McCormick) Key (James-Newby) you know, a couple of guys that may or may not come back that are pretty important. So it’s just playing for them,” Johnson said. “I’m a younger guy, and it’s fun when they’re having fun.”

Moving on to Montana State

The top-seeded and undefeated Montana State Bobcats remained on top with a 49-17 second-round win over UT Martin on Saturday afternoon.

It sets up a rematch between two of the top three Big Sky teams. Montana State beat Idaho 38-7 on Oct. 12 in Bozeman in the most lopsided loss of the Vandals’ season.

“Since it’s a rematch, I know the defense is going to be hungry,” Johnson said. “We obviously didn’t show what we’re capable of the first time we played them. For us, it’s kind of a revenge game.”

Lehigh 0 6 0 7 — 13

Idaho 6 13 15 0 — 34

FIRST QUARTER

IDA— Jordan Dwyer 5 pass from Jack Layen (Cameron Pope kick failed).

SECOND QUARTER

IDA — Dwyer 62 pass from Layne (pass failed).

LEH — Nick Garrido 35 field goal.

IDA — Mark Hamper 42 catch from Layne (Pope kick).

THIRD QUARTER

IDA — Deshaun Buchanan 2 run (Dwyer pass from Layne).

IDA — Zach Johnson 74 interception return (Pope kick).

FOURTH QUARTER

LEH — Dante Perri run (Garrido kick)

PASSING — Lehigh: Hayden Johnson 13-27-1-143, Dante Perri 4-4-0-59; Idaho: Jack Layne 16-22-0-318.

RUSHING — Lehigh: Luke Yoder 11-74, Johnson 12-69, Jaden Green 14-14, Aaron Crossley 2-6, Perri 2-5, Matt Machalik 1-1; Idaho: Deshaun Buchanan 15-42, Eli Cummings 7-21, Art Williams 7-20, Layne 3-8, Hamper 1-1.

RECEIVING — Lehigh: Mason Humphrey 6-98, Geoffrey Jamiel, 4-67, Matt D’Avino, 1-16, Jamaire Harden 1-15, Logan Galletta1-9, Connor Hilling 1-1, Yoder 1-0, Green 2- (-4); Idaho: Jordan Dwyer 7-166, Hamper 5-97, Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar 2-26, Buchanan 1-21, Mike Martinez 1-8.

Attendance — 7,346.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.